University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
West Virginia
Uneven Second Half Leads to UConn Defeat at WVU
10/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 8, 2011
Final Stats |
Photo Gallery 
|
AP Photo Gallery
| Live Chat Archive
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith was 27 of 45 in the air for 450 yards and the Mountaineers scored 23 unanswered points in the final 7:54 of the third quarter to top the University of Connecticut football team by a 43-16 score on Saturday afternoon. The game was played before a crowd of 56,179 at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium as
Stedman Bailey had seven receptions for 178 yards and two scores and Dustin Garrison had 80 rushing yards to help lead the Mountaineer effort.
Redshirt senior Johnny McEntee (
WVU led 10-9 at halftime, but the game took a dramatic momentum change midway in the third quarter as
The Mountaineers added two more points on a safety with 2:31 left in the third quarter as McEntee was sacked in the endzone to make it 26-9 and Smith had a 22-yard TD pass to Brad Sparks with nine seconds left in the quarter to make it 33-9.
Tyler Bituncurt kicked a 33-yard field goal for West Virginia with 10:52 left to make it 36-9. The Mountaineers went on to score 33 unanswered points when Smith added a second touchdown pass to Bailey, on a 27-yard toss to the end zone with 8:51 remaining in the game.
After a quick three-and-out by UConn, WVU made a change at quarterback. Freshman Paul Millard entered the game and was picked off on his first play by Connecticut red-shirt freshman Ty-Meer Brown. Brown nearly came close to stepping out of bounds, but stayed in to return the ball 48 yards to the end zone for the only Husky touchdown of the afternoon.
The first quarter saw the teams trade a pair of field goals as WVU's Bitancurt opened the scoring with a 31-yarder with 7:43 left. The Huskies came right back on the next possession as Teggart hit a 41-yarder to tie it at 3-3 with 3:23 to go. On the opening drive of the game, Teggart had missed a 42-yarder as it hit the left goal post and then bounced off the crossbar.
Teggart hit a pair of second quarter field goals - including a career-long 53-yard field goal that came on the first play of the quarter to make it 6-3 Huskies. UConn had gained possession of the ball on a fumble caused by redshirt junior Jory Johnson (Tampa, Fla.) and recovered by redshirt freshman safety Ty-Meer Brown (McKeesport, Pa.). Brown was making his first career start.
Teggart cut the WVU lead to a point at halftime with a 22-yard field goal on the final play of the stanza. UConn got the ball back with 55 seconds left after it held the Mountaineers on fourth and one to the get the ball at the Husky 42. McEntee had three pass completions on the drive, including two to senior Isiah Moore (
Players Mentioned
